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Keep up the fight! – call for donations –

during winter 2016/ 2017 pictures of starving and freezing refugees in Belgrade hit the news all over the world. People were struggling to survive in dilapidated barracks behind the central bus station under severe humanitarian circumstances. Media response was extremely high, until the eviction of the barracks took place in may 2017. People living in the barracks were transfered to closed or (still) open camps all over Serbia. Since that their struggle almost disappeared from the cityscape. But only because their problematic situation can not be seen in public anymore, it does not mean that the situation for people on the move has improved. Still, there are thousands of people in Serbia waiting for many months to enter the EU. Especially at the borders to Croatia and Hungary they experience massive physical and psychological violence by police officials or militias before being pushed back to Serbia illegally.In Serbia itself there are no prospects for refugees. Most of the asylum requests are rejected. Even people who apply for asylum or whose request has been approved already are not guaranteed an access to state support, e.g. language classes, school attendance or social benefits. Without private savings or permanent solidarity support of locals, it is neither possible for them to have a private accommodation nor a work permission nor an health insurance. These factors are necessary to receive the Serbian citizenship and thereby equal rights.Because of that most people want to continue their journey instead of applying for asylum in Serbia. They are forced to live in a status of insecurity without a legal status. Formally the refugee´s integrity is only guaranteed by international laws, whereas it turns out to be a farce considering the continuing violation of human rights at the EU-borders and in some official Serbian camps.As a result support in solidarity is still necessary. Just to name a few examples – besides personal help for individuals, there is a need for reliant information about e.g. Dublin III, Asylum procedures in EU-countries, family reunifications etc., furthermore material goods as proper shoes, sleeping bags and backpacks.

We perceive it as a fateful sign seriously effecting refugees in Serbia, if we would have to stop our work here because of„missing“ horror pictures in media resulting in a lack of financial and material donations!